Bringing zero-waste shopping to the Highlands
Posted: 18 October 2022, in News
The Highland Weigh was really born out of the belief that zero-waste shopping could be done with a Highlands and Islands twist. We have some amazing producers in the Highlands and great Highland hospitality. What we imagined was a space that brought this together, a store that would be an experience.
What followed was conversations with local producers and suppliers. It seems the deeper you delve the more problem solving is required but we have taken the view that through these chats with suppliers about selling their products in a form that creates minimal waste we can share these solutions with other businesses.
The plan for The Highland Weigh became a zero-waste store with a veggie café that would also serve as a community hub, providing a space for talks, classes and chat. In the summer we found what we felt would be a great home for The Highland Weigh store on Nairn High Street. But it needed work … a lot of work.
When I look back on the refurbishment, I think there will always be three days that stick in my head. The first was the day the heavens opened and we had seven leaks, I wandered around nudging buckets into the correct positions to catch the drips. The second was the day the new flooring was laid, and The Highland Weigh didn’t look like a building site anymore. The third day was the day our social enterprise neighbours ‘Highland Yoga Collective’ called in to say hello. I should add, we have also been welcomed by Velocity, Green Hive and Reboot. It turns out we have joined a community. Knowing this really helps. The roof has been fixed, but there will always be days in the Highlands when it rains and it helps knowing there are people to hand you a towel and make you a cup of tea. After all that’s the Highland way.
We are planning our grand opening for the end of October and in the meantime, we’re crowdfunding to help us deliver the best store/community hub we can manage. We’ve included a wee link for you to have a look. And if you find yourself in our neck of the woods on a wet day, call in and find a seat by the wood-burner, you will be most welcome.
Visit the Highland Weigh’s website and donate to their crowdfunding campaign.